Difference between revisions of "Shard"

There are sixteen Shards{{epigraph ref|TWoK|11}}, and they are the most powerful known entities in the [[cosmere]]. They are related to many, if not all, magic systems, and for practical purposes, they are gods. All Shards started at an equal power level.{{17s ref|2383|post|42116}}

 

 

== Introduction ==

{{/row|Endowment | |Nalthis |Warbreaker |{{qa ref|428|59}}{{qa ref|428|106}}|}}

{{/row|Devotion |Aona |Sel |Elantris |{{qa ref|715|9}}{{epigraph ref|sa1|22}}{{qa ref|428|106}}|}}

{{/row|Honor |Tanavast |Roshar |Stormlight |{{qa ref|698|1}}{{qa ref|428|106}}|}}

{{/row|Odium |Rayse |Braize |Stormlight |{{qa ref|700|7}}{{qa ref|428|106}}|}}

Still, that leaves eight additional Shards that have not been seen, and the only reference to any of them is that Bavadin is a Shardholder.{{qa ref|700|7}} The last seven Shards are unknown.

 

{{quote

|Ruin's consciousness was trapped by the Well of Ascension, kept mostly impotent. That night, when we discovered the Well for the first time, we found something we didn't understand. A black smoke, clogging one of the rooms.

 

=== [[Splinter]] ===

 

The divine Breath that [[Returned]] hold (a Splinter of [[Endowment]]{{qa ref|680|13}}) and the Aon within a Seon (a Splinter of [[Devotion]]) are the only confirmed Splinters. Splinters also appear in ''[[The Way of Kings]]'', but not ''[[Mistborn series|Mistborn]]''.{{qa ref|699|8}}

Honor states to [[Dalinar]] that a champion may bind [[Odium]], but it is unknown what he meant.{{book ref|TWoK|75}}

 

 

{{quote|The powers of Ruin and Preservation are Shards of Adonalsium, pieces of the power of creation itself. Allomancy, Hemalurgy, Feruchemy are manifestations of this power in mortal form, the ability to touch the powers of creation and use them. These metallic powers are how people's physical forms interpret the use of the Shard, though it's not the only possible way they could be interpreted or used. It's what the genetics and Realmatic interactions of Scadrial allow for, and has to do with the Spiritual, the Cognitive, and the Physical Realms.|[[Brandon]]{{qa ref|727|45}}}}

Magic systems have a [[focus]]. Metals are the focus for the Metallic Arts, Aons are the focus for AonDor, and the Commands are the focus for Awakening.{{ref|text=[[User: Chaos2651|Chaos]]'s meeting with Brandon insists it is so.}}{{clarify|need better than 'Eric says so}} The focus seems to be related to Shards themselves, as Ruin and Preservation could not perceive metal. It is not known what determines a focus for a given Shard, or if all Shards are blind to their focus in some way.

 

 

{{theory}}

 

 

It has been theorized that a Shard's power creates sentience.{{17s ref|549}}{{17s ref|636}} Preservation put a fragment of himself into the people on Scadrial, granting them sentience, and the large quantity of Breaths (presumably fragments of Endowment) in [[Nightblood]] are a factor in his sentience.

 

Endowment's Shardholder is currently unknown, but since the Tears of Edgli are related to color and Awakening, it's been proposed that Endowment's original name was Edgli.{{qa ref|691|7}}

 

It is also theorized that Endowment's Shardholder is female.

 

 

Since Aona and Skai's Shards have been Splintered, it commonly espoused that Skaze, is a Splinter of Dominion.

Syl and Honorspren are also thought to be Splinters.

 

 

A remarkably simple theory explains why some Shards are better at seeing into the future than others. Cultivation is better at seeing into the future than Honor, and when compared to Preservation, Ruin was remarkably bad at seeing into the future. (After all, if Ruin figured out the Terris Prophecies, he could have simply killed Vin after the events of [[The Well of Ascension]], thus defeating Preservation's plot for a new holder and ultimately gaining victory.)

{{17s ref|614|text=Ancient Q&A, Question 15|date=2010-05}}

{{17s ref|636|text=Power generates sentience|date=01 July 2011}}

{{17s ref|2383|post|42116|All shards started equal?|date=26 September 2012}}

{{17s ref|2383|post|42213|Did Cultivation come to Roshar with Honor?|date=26 September 2012}}

{{17s ref|2652|post|46099|Clues in signed things|date=09 December 2012}}

{{qa ref|428|10|Of the people that were sick for the 16 days in comparison to just the 1 day, it is mentioned that they would be able to burn more precious metals (atium). Could it also be possible they are/were Mistborn - with the ability to burn all 16 metals?|date=Jul, 2009}}

{{qa ref|428|59|Could you tell us the numbers per book?|date=Jul, 2009}}

{{qa ref|428|106|What planet is Elantris is set on?|date=Jul, 2009}}

{{qa ref|590|46|How did Wyrn see into the future?|date=Jan 10th, 2011}}

{{qa ref|622|107|How is Allomancy of Preservation?|date=Aug 31st, 2011}}

{{qa ref|727|80|Is Sazed effected by the metal blindess, or can he see thing written in metal?|date=2008-10-20}}

{{qa ref|755|27|Was Honor splintered?|date=Apr 17th, 2012}}

{{qa ref|836|49|None are native but Honor and Cultivation were there long before Odium showed up|date=Sep 22nd, 2012}}

</references>}}